Machines resembling assembly lines through which food articles and the like pass use several different energy or radiation sources to sanitize the foodstuff, for example, to kill E. coli and botulism bacteria in the production plant. Cobalt 60, a radioactive material which emits gamma radiation, kills such bacteria, but the radioactive radiation it emits may expose plant workers to a hazard. Similarly, x-rays and electron beams can effectively kill undesirable organisms without rendering the foodstuff inedible, but they too present environmental hazards, and their cost of installation and power consumption may make them undesirable or impractical for either small scale or mass treatment of mail, packages, and the like.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a sanitizing apparatus which will effectively kill pathogens, such as bacteria, viruses, spores, mold, and the like on the surface and the interior of packages and envelopes.